2 Broke Girls: And The Devil's Smile
by ThoughtsRoam
Summary: Cheshire is the most feared pirate in the seven seas! When she kidnaps a wealthy banker's daughter; Caroline Channing, for a big payday, She doesn't expect all the trouble that'll come with this loot. How will the noblewoman Caroline Channing survive among savage pirates? And what will she do with the infamous "Cheshire"?
1. Chapter 1

2 Broke Girls: And The Devil's Smile.

Chapter 1: And The Banker's Daughter.

Cheshire is the most feared pirate in the seven seas! She's known as "Cheshire" for the way she could seemingly disappear on the seas, like the cat that could go invisible, in a book she never read. That, and her infamous smile. This earned her ship the name "The Devil's Smile" along with the large scar on the side of the yellowish brown vessel. Word of mouth tells that she has hair dark as the ocean at night, skin pale as a siren's, and lips red as blood.

She's as likely to seduce you as she is to kill you. She never cared for how that legend went, but such is the life of a pirate.

Her and her ragtag crew were planning something big! Earl, her lookout, had heard that Martin Channing, a wealthy banker, was going on vacation. They heard that he owned an island in the Caribbean. They were planning on kidnapping his daughter, Caroline, and demand a huge ransom. If they pulled this off, it'd be the biggest payday they ever had! However, they had to be careful, they didn't want to make this an obvious kidnapping: they wanted her father to worry first, rather than be angry.

Han, her quartermaster (even though he technically owned the ship), had picked a nearby island where they would wait until Martin Channing arrived. Oleg, the cook and muscle, had somehow acquired a layout of the house. She never asked how he got the things he did, since it always involved something disgusting. Cheshire herself laid out the plan.

*A week or so later.*

They had arrived at the the island they selected. It was big enough to provide ample cover when Martin's ship came. They set up camp on the beach and waited. They went over the plan a few more times and then drank the night away. It was two days later that Martin's ship arrived. They decided to let him settle in. Two days later, they were ready. Han noted the time when Martin and Caroline went to sleep every night.

They got in the rowboat near that time. Oleg paddled them over. They landed on the beach; Han stayed behind to keep the rowboat ready. Lucky for them, Martin had thought no one knew about his manor here, so there were no guards to sneak around. Earl picked the lock to the back door quickly. They snuck through the house. Earl decided to check out the wine cellar and see if he couldn't grab a couple of bottles.

Cheshire and Oleg went upstairs and looked around. The urge to steal every valuable in sight was strong, but they resisted knowing they had to make this look like Caroline disappeared, not like some petty robbery. They found Caroline's room and they snuck in. Cheshire learned her stealth from growing up on the streets, breaking into houses for scraps of food. She was unclear on why Oleg moved with such silence, when he did everything else without much grace.

It was eerie, but she ultimately decided she didn't care: it was useful and she tried not to pry too much into his past. Less chance of hearing something disturbing. She originally planned to just snatch her, holding her mouth to silence her, but Oleg gently picked her up without waking her, and just walked out of the room. Cheshire admitted that made things easier, but it was still highly unsettling all the same.

She wondered how many times he might have snuck into her room and…did things to her. She shuddered at the thought and pushed it out of her mind. She also elected to start locking her door and putting a gun under her pillow. She grabbed a few of Caroline's clothes. They swiftly exited the manor. As they did, they meet up with the elderly Earl. He had managed to steal a few bottles of brandy. Then they quietly paddled back to their ship.

Apparently this Caroline was a heavy sleeper. They put her in the brig, (which they repurposed into a "guest room"), and Oleg gently laid her down to sleep, all without waking her up. This, like many things about Oleg, creeped her out. They raised their sails and set out. The weather seemed calm as they made a good head start. They sailed for four hours before Cheshire decided to stop. She went to her quarters, locked her door in case Oleg had unsavory intentions, undressed to just her shirt and crashed on her bed. She didn't wrap herself in her sheets, it was warm that night.

She woke up a few hours later to a high pitch screaming.

"I suppose our 'guest' is awake," Cheshire murmured to herself without moving. She pulled herself up and threw on some pants, seeing no reason to dress more formally. She left her room and got onto the deck just in time to see Caroline run up to the railing on the starboard side of the deck, looking all kinds of distraught.

"Whoa, calm down, luv! It's a long swim back to the nearest island." Cheshire walked up to the deservedly confused hostage.

"Where am I?!" Caroline yelled without turning around, trying to see something, _anything_.

"Well, it isn't New York, that's for sure," Cheshire joked, she was amused by the sheer naïveté Caroline had to this situation. Caroline turned to face her, she was about to speak but shut her mouth in fear.

"You're-" she stopped and ran over to the other side of the deck. Cheshire just kinda watched her use her long legs to carry her along. Caroline looked on the port side of the ship. She saw the large scar on the side. She looked up, shocked, turned around to face Cheshire once more.

"You're Cheshire!"

"Y'know, I never understood why people call me that," Cheshire admitted. Despite her attempt to be causal, Caroline was freaking out.

"And this is 'The Devil's Smile'?!"

"It ain't a family restaurant," Cheshire joked back. She sauntered over to her hostage, making Caroline feel even more uneasy.

"I've heard about you!"

"Oh, I'm sure I've quite the reputation: both on the streets and in the sheets. Amirite?!" Cheshire quipped. Caroline didn't respond.

"You're just a barrel of laughs aren't you?" Cheshire stood in front of Caroline, putting her hands on her hips.

"Why am I here?" Caroline matched Cheshire's stance, putting her hands on her hips.

"Well, we heard about your vacation and we thought to ourselves 'how can we make it better?' Then, we agreed that a mini vacation was best! And here you are." Cheshire gestured to all of her ship. Caroline now had a remarkably straight face.

"So you kidnapped me?" she asked bluntly.

"Kidnap is such an ugly word for such a pretty mouth," she held Caroline's chin in her hand. She pulled her head back.

"But it also happens to be accurate in this in a situation such as this. So you will enjoy the many activities we have here, such as mopping, pulling rope and the occasional act of piracy. While your father decides how much you're worth to him." She led her down below deck.

"Wait, you kidnapped me and you still want me to do things?" Caroline folded her arms and reluctantly followed her captor.

"As far as I'm concerned, you're a part of my crew now, until your father pays up," Cheshire explained. They were below deck where several members of Cheshire's crew performing various tasks. They stopped to observe the captain and the woman behind her, that is, until Cheshire shooed then away with a flick of her wrist.

"Where are you taking me?" Caroline asked.

"Well, as a newcomer, you should meet the key members of our lovely family." She opened a door that led to the barracks. They were still many men asleep in their hammocks, but the ones she wanted were awake. She paused in front the group; they were discussing something but they stopped when they saw Cheshire approach them.

"Caroline, meet the only mugs you gotta remember." She gestured to the men before her.

"This is 'Earl'," she pointed to an elderly man. He was of African descent, and despite his quite clearly advanced age he displayed a certain youthful exuberance. It may stem from the fact that he was sipping straight out of a bottle of rum.

"Best lock picker on this thing we call a planet. He also taught me everything he knows about piracy."

"Not everything, darling." He flashed a wide smile at her. She flashed one back. Caroline could tell that was a genuine smile, unlike the one she wore while talking to her.

"He's also our spotter," she finished explaining

"This hygienic man is 'Oleg'. He's the one carried you in here while you slept like a baby," she pointed to the man who was currently scratching his groin.

"You smelled very nice, like a whorehouse I use to frequent back in my homeland," he said with a heavy Russian accent. This man had a pungent odor and hair in places that Caroline wished she didn't know could grow. Caroline visibly shuddered at the thought of him holding her; she couldn't get it out of head. Cheshire leaned in to her ear.

"We can burn your clothes later," she whispered. Caroline knew she was joking, but that suggestion didn't sound so bad.

"He's the cook, muscle, and apparently, a master stealthsman," she finished explaining. She pointed to the last (and shortest) person.

"This is Han, and before you ask, yes we have a stepladder around here, and no he's not for sale," Cheshire joked. Caroline didn't want to give Cheshire the satisfaction of seeing her laugh, but she had to admit that was funny.

"Oh har har har. If only your sense of humor was as good as I am with a map!" he squeaked out with a strange accent. He was Oriental, had chubby cheeks and an angry look that was hard to take seriously.

"The talking guinea pig knows every map like the back of his tiny hand. Plus, he reads the weather better than an animal. I even keep him in a cage!" Han just shook his head.

"Anyway, that's all you need to remember," Cheshire said.

"What about the others?" Caroline pointed at the others that were asleep on their hammocks.

"Oh, thanks for reminding me." Cheshire grabbed a bell that was hanging on the wall. She rung it loudly.

"GET UP MY HARTIES! THERE'S A BREEZE GOING AND I WANT THIS SHIP GOING TOO!" she shouted as several of her crew groaned awake. They shook the others awake and shuffled off to do their duties.

Cheshire, with her captive, walked onto the top deck. She stood by the wheel while her crew got the ship ready. She turned her attention to Caroline. She inspected the young woman, looking her over.

"Scrawny arms, have you lifted anything in your life?" She picked up the slender arm, much to Caroline's disapproval, whom pulled her arm back.

"I'm a lady! Heavy lifting is NOT my forte," Caroline says back.

"Feisty. Can you cook?" Max asked.

"No, I had people for that."

"I'm sure Earl would love to hear that. You ever clean?" Cheshire asked the noblewoman.

Caroline laughed loudly, doubled over clutching her stomach as she cackled wildly. Tears started to stream down her cheeks as she finally stood up straight.

"You're joking, right?" She wiped the tears from her face.

"So you can't cook and never cleaned? You're lucky that you're rich and pretty, otherwise no man would ever marry you." Cheshire pointed out. Despite the backhandedness of it, Caroline couldn't help admit the grain of truth it had.

"What can you do?" The pirate asked.

"I know how to ride a horse! I have one named one 'Chestnut'," Caroline answered with far more enthusiasm then she wanted.

"I'm sure that'll come in REAL handy." The pirate replied, deadpan. The smile faded from Caroline's face as she detected the sarcasm.

"Well, I suppose you can start with cleaning, at least you can't do much harm," Cheshire whistled to a random crew member that swabbing the deck.

"Meet your new cleaning partner!" She shouted as him, nudging Caroline towards him. She hesitantly walked to him. The man looked like he never seen cleaning supplies, let alone used them.

Caroline and the man cleaned everywhere! The top deck, below deck, various poles and barrels, all while having listen to his non-stop stream of terrible poetry. It was especially difficult with the boat swaying around, not that the man she was cleaning with seemed to notice.

They had taken a short break for lunch, but the food made Caroline's stomach want to turn. She had never worked so hard in her life! Her arms were aching when she was done. Cheshire had found Caroline sitting on barrel massaging her arms. She looked around on the floor.

"Well, you did a piss poor job, but that comes with the territory!" She slapped her on the back, hard. Caroline recoiled at the impact.

"Anyway, it's getting dark, so c'mon," she cocked her head to the side as a gesture for Caroline to follow her. She followed the pirate, they stopped outside a door that was the most ornate this ship, but that wasn't saying much. Cheshire fished for a key, unlocked it and walked in. She lit the two lanterns in the room. Caroline looked around, she saw a table, sofa and a bed. They were all nailed to the floor.

Various trinkets and ornaments decorated the shelves, along with maps of several places that were adorned on the walls.

"You'll sleep there," Cheshire pointed to the sofa. It was worn and was barely long enough for a grown adult to sleep on. Cheshire handed her a sheet and a pillow.

"Here," she simply said.

"Oh no, that thing looks like insects spend more time on it than people," Caroline retorted.

"You're probably right, but here's the thing: the room you were sleeping in before was the brig. It locks, but the key is right outside, so if you're comfortable with anyone walking in there that's fine. The lads ain't seen a pretty lady like you in a long time, and I don't train them too good." Caroline cringed at the thought.

"You could also sleep in the barracks, but being surrounded by horny men through the night, probably isn't your ideal sleeping place," Cheshire explained. Caroline grew more disturbed.

"Or you could sleep on a probably bug filled sofa, with me who probably won't touch you. You're not my type, don't worry," Cheshire said, still holding the sheet and pillow out. Caroline pouted, snatching the offered items.

"Good choice," Cheshire said while she took off her boots. Caroline laid on the sofa and tried to get comfortable. Cheshire laid on her bed, watching Caroline as she settled in and fell asleep. She herself, then fell asleep.

A while later, Cheshire felt something on her bed. As if someone was standing on it. She opened her eyes to see Caroline, standing above her, with her sword on her hands. She had the saber pointed right at the pirate's face.

"I want off this boat, Cheshire!" The noblewoman said through clenched teeth, both from effort of holding the sword up, and frustration.

"Y'know, if we're going to do this, let's do this right. You can call me Max. Max Black."

Chapter 1: End


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: And The Old Friend

"This ain't the type of sword I like to see in bed," Cheshire said.

"Enough jokes! I want to go home _now_ , Cheshire!" Caroline demanded. She was struggling to keep the sword up.

"What's your plan, lass? You're gonna threaten my crew to sail you home holding that sword to my throat the whole time? That don't sound too smart. 'Sides, you can barely even lift the thing," Cheshire pointed out. Caroline admits it isn't the best plan. But anything had to be better than just accepting her situation.

"Also, you're holding it wrong," Cheshire added.

"Huh?" Caroline glanced down at the hilt. In a swift movement, Cheshire tripped her hostage, and grabbed the sword by its dull side. She flipped it in the air, caught its handle with the same hand, and grabbed Caroline by the throat with the other. Now Caroline was hanging off the side of the bed with Cheshire on top of her, holding her up by her neck. Cheshire slowly lowered herself and her sword over Caroline's throat. The fear in her face was matched with the ice cold look on Cheshire's.

"Now, I'm not an aristocrat myself, but I'm pretty sure that holding a sword to someone's face while they sleep is rude."

"So is kidnapping," Caroline snipped.

"Well, I'm no noble."

"Clearly." Cheshire tightened her grip a bit.

"I thought I made it clear how this was gonna go: I'll keep you alive, and your father makes me rich. _Alive_ is a loose term." Her grip tightened more. She now laid her sword on Caroline's throat. The steel was cold on her skin. She tried freeing herself to no avail.

"You can still be alive in a locked room that any sweaty man can get into. It's no skin off my nose, and I'm sure the lads will appreciate it," she threatened. The thought of that happening filled Caroline with dread as she clawed more to break free.

"This kidnapping is only as difficult as you make it. Do as I say, don't pull any more swords on me, and we'll have a lovely time. But you do something like that again, and you might go home with bruises and a pirate baby. You want that?" Cheshire's face was hovering mere inches over Caroline's. Her dark hair formed a curtain, making their own private world where Caroline stared into the blue eyes of her personal devil.

"N-no, Cheshire," Caroline choked out.

"Oh, call me Max!"

"Sorry, M-Max," Caroline stuttered. Cheshire let go of her throat. Caroline fell to the ground, hitting her head.

"There, that wasn't so hard was it?" Max said as Caroline rubbed the back of her head. Max helped her up.

"C'mon, let's get some food before we set sail." She got dressed quickly, putting on a long leather jacket and put her sword in her baldric. She also picked up a pistol from one of her shelves.

"I got some of your clothes over there." Max pointed to a pile of clothes in the corner of the room. Caroline inspected it.

"These are all nightgowns!" Caroline exclaimed. Max shrugged.

"Eh, you could wear some of my clothes. Though I admit they may not be clean. They certainly won't fit the chest area." She pointed to another pile of clothes. Caroline decided it'd be better to wear inappropriate clothing than get a rash. She grabbed a new nightgown and put it on.

"I'd ask for shoes, but I'd rather not get whatever fungus is waiting in them." Caroline said.

"Good idea, your delicate feet probably couldn't handle it. Now c'mon." She followed Max to the main deck and then down below.

They entered the galley. Everybody inside turned to look at Max.

"Eat some grub, then I want this ship sailing fast! Savvy?!" she hollered to the room.

"Aye, captain!" The crew said in unison and returned to their food. Max walked to Oleg who was serving. Caroline followed closely behind, not wanting to bump into one of the crew. She and Max grabbed a bowl and got served what Caroline could only hope was beef stew. She barely ate anything yesterday, so she practically scarfed it down.

"Hungry, huh? What happened to little miss prissy from yesterday?" Max asked.

"She died of hunger," Caroline replied with her mouth full. Max just shook her head and started eating. Caroline was looking around as various crew members got up to go about their duties. They all looked at Max, who nodded at them before they left.

"How long have you been doing this?" Caroline asked the pirate captain. Max tipped her head to the side to consider it.

"Piracy or kidnapping?"

"Both," Caroline shrugged as she asked.

"Well, this is my first time kidnapping. So be gentle with me?" She winked. Before Caroline could respond Max continued.

"Unless you count that one time. We kidnapped a noble, but it turned out he always wanted to be a pirate, so it was more like an intense recruiting. There he is over there," she pointed to a guy across the room. He had all his teeth. And was slightly less caked in grime than the other pirates. He had a wide smile as he left the galley, waving to Max.

"As for piracy. Well, it's kinda just robbing and such, but at sea, and I've been doing that my whole life," she said. That wasn't the answer Caroline was looking for. Max continued.

"If you must know, I've been using this ship for piracy for three years, give or take. Now c'mon, it's time to sail."

Caroline follows her captor to the main deck. Max climbs the stairs to the steering wheel and Han approached her.

"We're making good time, we're but a few clicks off. Heading east." He pointed to his right. Caroline saw nothing but open water. Max nodded and walked to the wheel.

"Alright lads, we're close to our destination. Soon, you can drink yerselves blind! But for now I want to get moving!" She told her crew.

"Aye aye, captain!" they all said. They got straight to work. Lifting the anchor, opening the sails, making sure the cannons were loaded. Max began steering the ship as the sails caught wind. She turned east, and commanded that the sails be opened fully. They were on their way.

Caroline stood awkwardly at her side.

"Where are we going?" she asked. Max looked at her for a second before turning her attention back to the sea.

" _I'm_ going a friend's place. _You're_ going to clean the main deck."

Caroline pouted. Max ignored her.

"What's the harm in telling me?"

"What good will it do you to know?" Caroline stared at her until she answered. Max just groaned her frustration.

"We're going to a friend's place for a little while. I might even get you some clothes there, now get to swabbing." Not wanting to press the pirate anymore, Caroline walked away. She found her partner from the day before and got to scrubbing. Her arms still hurt from yesterday, but she was more afraid of what Cheshi- _Max_ would do if she disobeyed her again.

After an hour of scrubbing, she was done with the main deck. She looked up to Max on the quarterdeck.

Despite how she felt about her earlier that day, Caroline couldn't deny Max was beautiful. The wind was blowing her dark hair from under her hat. She had a wide smile on her face. No one else was looking at her, which struck Caroline as odd. Max was positively glowing. It was amazing to see someone like this. She looked so, at one with herself; serene. Like she belongs there. Of course, this moment of awe was shut down when Max had caught her staring and looked her right in the eyes.

Her smile disappeared, and with it her glow.

"WE'LL BE THERE SOON MAX!" Earl called from the crow's nest.

"YOU HEARD THAT ME HARTIES?! I WANT THE BARRELS FOR RATIONS READY BY THE GANGPLANK! THEN WE CELEBRATE!"

"AYE AYE CAPTAIN!" The crew replied. Max gestured at Han to take the wheel. As he did, Max walked over to Caroline. Caroline had no idea what to expect from her.

 _Is she angry at me for looking at her? No, she couldn't be. Right? Oh god she's getting closer!_ Caroline thought as Max approached. After what happened earlier this morning she was frightened much more easily by the pirate. Max stopped in front of her, her hands on her hips. _Oh god, what's she going to do?_

"Listen up, about where we're going, I want to get certain ideas out of that pretty little head of yours," Max said.

"Ok."

"There's going to be lots of people there. And if you think about asking one of them for help, I got bad news for ya. They're pirates. Not the friendly kind like us, I'm talking about the raping and selling human cargo kind." Caroline shuddered as Max explained with a stone cold look. "So if you think one of them can give you a ride home, you might want to reconsider. Unless you want a permanent life at sea." Caroline just shook her head.

"Alright, glad that's settled." Max slapped her arm. It really hurt due to her soreness. "Follow me." She cocked her head gesturing her Caroline to follow her. They went back to her quarters.

"What're we doing here?" Caroline asked. Max threw some clothes at her.

"Put those on. Those are the cleanest clothes I have," Max curtly said. Caroline looked at the clothes thrown at her. Pants that felt like they were made from a sail, and had several stains on them. Caroline didn't want to think what the stains could possibly be. A cheap leather belt with a baldric and a holster. A thin linen shirt, also stained, and a worn folded hat. Max then threw a pair of old boots at her feet. The boots looked as though they've been through war. They were riddled with holes and barely held together by poor stitching.

"And why on God's Earth would I wear this?" Caroline asked pointedly. Max spun around to answer her.

"Because where we're going, dressed the way you are right now." Max chuckled, scratching her cheek, "let's just say you'll be sending out a certain message. Those other pirates I warned you about? They're gonna be lookin' fer girls dressed like you. And certainly not to have lovely conversation with you." Max smiled to accentuate her point.

"Are you taking me to a brothel?!" Caroline asked, disgusted.

"No, I'm not fancy enough for a brothel. I like me a regular street whore." It was hard to tell if she was joking or not.

"What about you? You have your…bosom out and about! Won't those barbarians try something on you?" Caroline gestured to Max's chest.

"Oh, I'm counting on it, I get a lot of free drinks that way. But if they get too handsy, I got a sword here that'll inform them of the right decision." Max patted the saber at her side. Caroline looked at the pile of dirty clothes in her hands then back at the pirate.

"Choice is yours. That pretty face of yours is still gonna get harassed, but this way we'll cut it down some." Caroline didn't want to admit it, but she had a point.

"Fine. May I have some privacy?" Caroline begrudgingly said.

"Don't want me to see the goods, huh?" Max winked at her. Caroline didn't respond. "Okay, fine. I'll leave, but hurry we'll be landing soon," Max said as she exited. Caroline reluctantly got undressed. She slipped on the pants. The material was rough on her skin, and they were too big for her waist. She had only worn pants while practicing horse riding, but those were tailored to her specifically, and made from much more comfortable material. The shirt was also slightly too big for her, the sleeves went over her hands. She put on the boots but immediately took them off after her foot touched some liquid in it.

"I hate wet shoes," she mumbled to herself. She poured out whatever brown liquid was in the boots, put them back on, and then tried walking in them. Surprisingly it was ok, but the moistness in the boot was annoying though. Max walked back in. She looked Caroline up and down.

"Here, I'll help you." She pulled up the trousers' waist and tightened the belt. She tucked in the linen shirt (sloppily) and rolled the sleeves up to her elbows. "Turn around," she said. Caroline complied and Max pulled her hair off her shoulders.

"Hmmm, so soft. And it smells nice." Max combed her fingers through the silk like golden strands. It smelled of strawberries and a scent Max couldn't place.

"Th-thank you," Caroline stammered out, the sudden kindness and closeness of Max startled her. Max was standing behind her, so she couldn't see what she was doing or her facial expression, but she could feel her breath on her neck. Max twirled Caroline's hair and put it into a bun. She took out a small piece of string and tied her hair to keep it in place.

"There, you don't want someone grabbing you by the hair, do we? Now c'mon. You got barrels to unload." Max walked away, leaving Caroline standing there flustered. She was going to say something but decided against it. She followed Max to the lower level to where the crew was lifting barrels and taking them topside.

"Check and see which barrels are empty. If you see any food that's still good enough to eat, throw it on that table over there. If not, we'll toss it overboard." Max pointed at a table with various vegetables and scraps of bread. "If you're not sure if it's good, ask Oleg, he's around here somewhere. Once you've done that go ahead and take the barrels topside." Max sauntered away.

"I can't lift those things!" Caroline whined.

"Try!" Max replied from the top of the stairs.

Caroline looked through several barrels and found _nothing_ a human being should eat. She put all the rotten food into one barrel and prepared to throw it overboard. She struggled to pick it up, the barrel was cumbersome and heavy. The other crew members lifted the barrels so easily. Not to mention her arms were still sore. She hoisted it as best as she could, though she couldn't see where she was going. She lumbered over to where she assumed the stairs to be. She tripped on the first step and dropped the barrel on her left foot.

"OW, SHIT!" she yelled out as the barrel tipped over, spilling its rotten contents all over the floor. She clutched her foot, hopping up and down on her other.

"Such ugly language for such a pretty face," Oleg said, appearing from behind a door. He placed the barrel upright and started to lean on it.

"Hey Oleg, can you help me?" she asked still hopping around. _This is definitely going to bruise,_ she thought.

"Sorry, Max told me not to help you," he pointed out.

"And why is that?" Caroline asked through gritted teeth.

"She told me to treat you like any other crew member," he said as he stepped closer. "Of course, I can be _persuaded_ to see your obvious sexiness, and lend you a hand or two." He was now too close for comfort.

"On second thought." Caroline quickly put the rotten food back in and picked up the barrel. "I got it." She walked up the stairs slowly but surely.

"Have it your way," Oleg replied.

Caroline eventually made it to the main deck and set the barrel down by the others. She took a moment to breathe. Max approached her, peeked into the barrel, and looked back at her captive.

"What're you doing?" she asked.

"I'm just taking a quick break. Barrels are heavier than I'd thought they'd be."

"I meant with the food."

"Throwing it out of course," Caroline said matter-of-factly. Could she not see how rotten it was?

"What?! There's still some good stuff in there!" She reached in and grabbed something. She pulled out a piece of bread that had some mold on it. Caroline's stomach churned at the sight of it.

"Wipe the mold off and it's perfectly good," Max explained. Caroline had to stop herself from vomiting at the thought of someone eating that.

"Trust me on this, no one should eat that, or _anything_ in here!" Caroline gestured to the barrel. Max rolled her eyes and tossed the bread back in.

"Fine, dump it. Last thing I need is sick crew mates, them being drunk is already a pain in my ass." Caroline tipped the barrel over the edge of the ship and spilled its putrescent contents into the sea. Her arms were aching and she lost control of the barrel. She let go of it but Max caught it and lugged it back onboard.

"And the other seven barrels?" Max asked with a stern look. Caroline looked back with dread in her face. She barely got the one up here, now she had to carry seven more?

Max busted out into laughter. "You should've seen the look on your face! I'm messing with you!" She turned to some crew members. "Stop flapping your lips, get the rest of the barrels from below." They immediately went to retrieve them.

"If you'll excuse me, Miss Channing, I have a ship to steer. Make sure the cart works will ya?" she asked before walking to the quarterdeck.

"Great, another menial task," Caroline muttered.

An hour or two later Max, was docking her ship at a pier. The gangplank clanked down and the crew started unloading. Caroline had put some nightgowns in a "clean" burlap sack she found. She walked up from the lower deck to see where they arrived.

It was a large island with thick foliage and pink sand. Caroline had heard of beaches with differently colored sand but she's never actually seen any before. The way the sand declined into the crystal clear water was astonishing. The great natural beauty of the island was in direct contrast with the amount of docks adorning it, and subsequently the several ships at them. Most of them were flying pirate flags. But that wasn't the most interesting thing about this island. At the docks the foliage was stripped to make a path which led to a fortress.

It was abandoned, at least of military presence. The fortress was more than abuzz with pirates and wayward sailors. The faded bricks and holes in the structure were spruced up by flags of all shapes and colors. They represented different nations, creeds, and groups. Some were clean and crisp, others were dirty, stained by blood and practically obliterated with signs of battle.

Most of the damaged ones were from Navy ships. Britain, Spain, France. It was a tally, a count of naval ships that fell at the hands of the pirates that come here. Some of the flags however were those of pirate ships. No doubt a testament to their fallen brethren. The walls of the fort, those that still stood anyway, were stained with splashes of wine and had obscenities painted on them. All in all, it's exactly what you'd expect a pirate hub to look like.

The docks were boisterous with captains barking orders at their crew, men laughing and arguing and seagulls screeching as they attempted to steal food. A cacophony showing how alive and carefree these people are. As the crew of the Devil's Smile unloaded and started carting off, the people at the docks turned to look at them. Muttering about this and that. "That be the Devil's Smile," Caroline heard someone say from the handrail of the ship.

Max walked up behind Caroline, stopping next to her.

"Yep, a regular pirate's den. Me and the boys come here often, it's like a second home." Caroline turned to face her.

"And where's your first home?" she asked.

"That would be the sea, lass." Caroline nodded, she wasn't expecting to get a straight answer anyway.

"What is this place?"

"Just some abandoned fort. After some big battle they ran out of rations. Most of them starved. Others died from their injuries. But now it's been repurposed, that's how life works," Max explained.

"What's it called?"

"Fort something. I don't know, I'm not a general."

"What about the island itself? What's it called?"

"I don't know that either."

"Wouldn't it be on a map?" Caroline asked. Max just shrugged.

"What're we doing here?"

"You'll see. C'mon now," she said as she walked off and Caroline followed. They exited the ship and walked over to the crew members handling the carts. Max threw a bag of coins at one of them. "You know what to get. Make sure to sample the cured meats, and try to get some fruit too." He nodded and went off. Max and Caroline continued walking towards the fort. Caroline was glad she was back on dry land, she never cared for staying on ships for very long. However, now she was surrounded by even more pirates!

They passed the walls to reveal what Caroline couldn't see from the ship. There was a thriving market with hundreds of stands. Lots of different things were being sold. A lot sold food, but others had fabric, swords, guns, actual cannons, animals both exotic and ordinary, spices, trinkets, maps, clothes, etc. It was a lot to take in at once.

"Stick close and be careful, there's a lot of pickpockets around here." Max said in Caroline's ear.

"Oh really? Thieves in a pirates den? Is nothing sacred?" she said back.

"I know right? This isn't church," Max said with a cheeky smile.

"And I don't know if you noticed but I don't even have anything in these rags!" she said pointedly.

"Oh yeah," Max said. She grabbed the coin purse of a man passing by. She offered it to Caroline.

"Here, make sure no one takes it."

"Max! That's stealing!" she exclaimed.

"Really? I hadn't noticed. What I did notice was his tattoo." She turned Caroline bodily to look at the man. "Look at his arm."

The man had an armband tattoo on his left bicep. It had a chain with thin dual stripes on both sides.

"A group of slavers use that tattoo. I don't feel bad robbing those guys." She offered the coin purse to Caroline again, who reluctantly took it.

"How can you be sure?" she asked the pirate.

"It's how I met Earl. And he knows a thing or two about slavers." Before Caroline could ask to know more, Max kept walking to the fort.

Inside the fort was basically a giant tavern. There were many tables, some flipped over, with people drinking and eating at them. The smell of cheap rum and perfume clashed in the air. That, mixed with all the smokers in there, made it very unpleasant for Caroline's nose. The servers were women, clad in skimpy outfits, one was wearing only a corset as her top. One of them walked and received a hard slap on her bottom by a drunken man. She returned the favor by smashing a bottle over his head, to which his crewmates laughed heartily at.

"That bottle wasn't cheap either," she said before walking off.

"Aren't you glad I told you to change now?" she whispered to Caroline who just nodded her head. While there were many counters in there, they approached the main one which was the biggest. A tall, busty, middle aged blonde woman stood behind the counter. She wasn't serving drinks, but the two girls who were also behind the counter were. The woman started speaking before even turning to face Max.

"Welcome to Sprzątaczki Sophie," she said unenthusiastically with a Polish accent.

"There's the friendly service I've come to know and love," Max replied.

"MAX!" The woman said loudly. Max smiled at her.

"How's my favorite pirate?" The owner inquired.

"Well, despite my best efforts, I'm still alive. How's my favorite mogul?"

"Oh, you know me Max, I'm doing fabulously as always!" The woman then turned to Caroline, briefly looking her up and down. "Who's the scrawny blond?" she asked bluntly.

"Sophie, this is Caroline. Caroline, Sophie. I'm uhh, watching her for a little while." Max explained.

"Mhmm. I get ya. Guess that no one in that crew of yours ain't _man_ enough for ya, huh?" Sophie said shimmying her shoulders. Max just rolled her eyes.

"It's not like that Sophie. I actually wanted to talk to you about it. Is there enough room for my crew?" Max asked.

"Oh yea, I'm sure the barracks have some space." Sophie didn't bother to check. Crew members usually fall asleep anywhere.

"Okay then, can I get a room? Me and my friend can share," Max said.

"Okay, let me fetch a key for ya. In the meantime I'll send some girls to clean your ship." Sophie walked away.

"If she was going to clean our ship, why did you have me do it?" Caroline asked.

"Because the less her girls havta clean the less she can charge."

"Fair point. But why can't I have my own room?"

"Because if a certain creepy man decides to follow you into a room that I'm not in, there's not much I can do." Sophie returned with a key and handed it to Max.

"It's the room at the far right. Commander's quarters. Even has a bathroom."

"Thanks Sophie, but I have something I want to talk to you about." She cocked her head in a gesture for Sophie to follow her. "Stay here," she said to Caroline.

"What am I supposed to do?" She was more than a bit out of her element here.

"Look, you can come in when you see Sophie leave. Until then stick with Earl or Han. You'd have to be an idiot to let Han try something on you, and Earl doesn't like white women."

"Why?"

"Cuz they act like you," Max joked. Caroline simply rolled her eyes. "And if you decide to drink, do _not_ let Oleg near your cup. I'm serious."

"Can you at least put this in the room?" she handed Max her bag with her nightgowns. She took it and walked off with Sophie to the stairs.

Caroline found Earl along with the rest of the crew. They were all singing and drinking together. Caroline sat next to Earl and decided she'd have more fun if she had a drink. The rum she received burned her mouth so she then decided that was enough for now. They had started retelling tales of the adventures they had with anyone who'd listen. An hour or two later, Caroline saw that Sophie was back at the counter. She didn't know how long she'd been standing there, but she didn't care.

As long as she could go somewhere there wasn't sweaty men yelling over each other. She walked up the long staircase and went to the room on the far right. The door was unlocked. The room was decorated nicely enough, at least to a pirate standard. There was one other door in the room, which led to the bathroom. There was a single large canopy bed with blue coverings.

 _Am I expected to share it with her?_ Caroline thought. Despite the island being inhabited entirely by pirates, the room was very clean. But Sophie did have girls for that. It had a balcony overlooking what was probably once a training ground, but was now an assortment of stands and pirates drunkenly fighting each other.

"I need a bath," Caroline said to herself. She was sweaty and most of the sweat wasn't even hers. She got undressed, glad to be out of the ill-fitting clothes. She was careful in taking off her boot. A bruise formed right where she dropped the barrel on it. She inhaled through her teeth at the sight of it. She wrapped a towel around herself, and pushed the bathroom door open. She was surprised with the sight of a naked Max. The pirate was sitting on a stool washing herself with her back to the door.

She had washed her dark hair and slung it over her shoulder. Her skin was pale and smooth, except where Caroline's eyes were drawn. Max's back had scars all over it. Some were clean cut, straight and uniform, but others were jagged and poorly healed. They were in severe contrast to the otherwise beautiful Max.

"OH MY GOD! I'M SO SORRY!" Caroline exclaimed after a moment, about to run out.

"It's okay. I was done anyway."

Caroline turned to look back at Max. She either didn't know Caroline was staring at her scars, or didn't care. The pirate stood up; immodest, unbothered by the fact that Caroline could see her whole backside. Not that it was anything to be ashamed of. She picked up her towel, wrapped it around her, and walked out.

"Good night," she said softly as she walked past Caroline, closing the door behind her. Caroline bathed herself, washing away the grime and sweat that was deposited on her throughout her time downstairs. The whole time she was bathing, she thought about the scars on Max's back. They were hard to look at, yet she couldn't look away. She wanted to ask about them, but thought that would be rude. But then again, she is a pirate. Rudeness isn't a big concern to them.

She exited the bathroom, steeling herself to ask Max about the scars. However Max was already asleep in the bed. She was wearing the same clothes she just had on, minus the boots, belt, jacket, and hat. The sheet was barely on her. Caroline sighed and resigned to ask in the morning. She dressed in one of her nightgowns and crawled into the bed. She laid down with her back to Max, grabbed as much sheet as she could, and closed her eyes.

Chapter 2 End


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